Collapsible tube



June 2, 1936. J FRIDEN 1 2,042,836

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Filed Jan. 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

June 2, 1936.

J. H. FRIDEN 2,042,836

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Filed Jan. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

BY 74/ 2;, ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE cotmrsmr-n TUBE John H. Fridn, Maplewood, N. J., assignor to The Sun Tube Corporation, Hillside, N. J., a corporaiion of New Jersey Application January 19, 1934, Serial No. 707,233

3 Claims.

. This invention relates to an improved form oi collapsible tube adapted for the packaging of tooth pastes, shaving creams, cold creams, adhesives, shoe polishes, edible pastes, and a variety of similar pasty or semi-fluid commodities. The preferred method herein disclosed of making the improved form of tube is being made the subject matter of a separate, divisional application.

A' particular feature of the invention is the provision, on a tube of the character mentioned, of a. special form of neck adapted to provide a most effective seal for the end of the tube. For this purpose a special sealing ring is provided at the end of the-neck to cooperate in an eifective manner with the usual sealing disk of cork or other yielding material placed in the cap.- The sealing ring is preferably formed as an integral, annular extension of the neck of appropriate form and dimension to cooperate prop-- erly with the sealing element of the cap. While the improved construction is of special value in connection with tubes having substantially rectangular discharge openings adapted to form ribbons of the material squeezed from the tubes it may be applied with advantage to other types of tubes as well.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

' illustrating various stages in a preferred method of making the tube. V

' Referring now to Figure 1' the tube is shown as provided with a main body portion l0 having a suitable wall thickness to withstand the strains due to filling, handling and using the tube. It may be formed of any suitable material depending upon the intended use. If it is to be used for the packaging of tooth paste. or an edible paste or the like it is preferably formed, of substantially pure tin, purposes it'm'ay suitably be formed of lead or aluminum or other readily extrudible materials.

Adjacent the top a conical portion ll joins the body with a neck designated generally at [2. The neck is preferably of somewhat greater wall thickness than the body of the tube and is provided over a suitable portion of its length with For other external threads l3. These may, if desired, ex- -.tend throughout the length of the neck although preferably they begin a short distance in from the outer end of the neck and terminate at, or slightly in from, the lower end of the neck. 5 The outer end ll of the neck is preferably well rounded, smooth and regular or even. This is to permit it to cooperate readily and eifectively' with a sealing disk l5'within a cap 16. Threads l1 formed over a suitable portion of the inner 10 wall of the cap are adapted to cooperate with the threads l3 on the tube to secure the cap in place. A suitable distance in from the end I l of the neck there is formed a partition or, partial closure l8 provided with 'a discharge open- 15 l9 of suitable form and dimension. The opening is illustrated as being of rectangular form so as to produce a fiat ribbon of paste. It might be made elliptical or round or star shaped or of any other suitable form depending upon 2'0- the form of the ribbon of paste desired.

When the tube is to be used, it will be understood, the cap is tightly screwed upon the neck and thepaste is forced into the tube through the bottom under pressure. Subsequently the 25 bottom of the tube is closed by appropriately folding it and applying a clip. If a. tight seal is not provided between the end of the neck and the disk lithe paste under pressure will ooze out between the cap and neck. Furthermore it, 80 is important not only to prevent'this leakage of paste but it is also desirable to make the tube completely air tight. The filled tubes are sometimes kept on the shelf in a store or home for a number of months before they are used. If the tubes are not airtight the contents will have a tendency to dry out and cake adjacent the point of air leakage. For this same reason it is important to make the tube air tight not only when first filled but also after each use. This 40 can only be effectively accomplished by providing a regular, smooth surface it at the end of the neck particularly if a relatively hard type of sealing disk is used. In re-applying the cap it willnever be returned quite to its former position and therefore any irregularity in the edge of the sealing ring is apt to produce air leakage.

The depth of the sealing ring from the outer edge It to the outer surfaceof the partition l8 may vary according to circumstances. It should 60 be great enough to insure an effective seal and proper cooperation with the sealing disk. If the partition l8 were made flush with .the end II it would be difiicult to insure a perfect, air-tight seal at all times. Furthermore, with such a construction the sealing disk would be partly squeezed into the opening l9 as the cap is applied and when the cap is later removed the projection from the disk would remain engaged with the opening and due to the wrench action the disk would be withdrawn from the cap. Itis important to have the partition l8 set-in a distance sufficient to prevent squeezing of any part of the sealing'disk into the opening l9. If a soft cork disk is used the distance should be relatively great, say between and or even more while if a harder, less compressible disk is employed the distance may be made even less than 21%". On the other hand, when a harder type of sealing element, such as paper or metal foil orthe like, is employed, the accuracy and regularity of the outer edge It becomes of increasingly greater importance. The purpose of terminating the threads 13 some distance in from the end of the neck is to prevent the outermost turn from biting into the sealing disk and removing it from the cap in the same manner as explained with relation to the opening as.

A preferred way of producing the foregoing type of tube will now be explained in conjunction with Figures 3 to 6, inclusive. A tube 20 is first produced by the action of a punch it upon a slug deposited in the cavity of a die 22. In the course of extruding the tube a knockout pin 23 will recede to an appropriate extent to produce a neck 24 on the tube of suitable length and with a.

relatively large amount of metal at the end. An

extension 25 is preferably provided on the punch to form a recess or indentation in the end of the neck having the shape of the opening desired in,

terior wall of the neck. In the first operation a roughing tool 21 is brought into and against the end of the tube to form a recess 28. This tool is provided with cutting edges 29 and 30 for this purpose. The depth of the out is suflicient to remove the metal which closes the end of the tube and thus produces an opening 3| out of the recess formed by the extension 25. In the next operation a thread cutter 32 forms threads 33 in the exterior surface of the neck. Finally a. tool 34 is brought into cooperation with the end of the tube to finish the various surfaces, This tool is provided with cutting edges 35 and 3B which not only finish the outer surface of they part1 ,tion 31 but also the inner, outer and end surfaces of the annular sealing ring. The outermost portions of the thread 33 are removed in this 5 way and the-end of the neck is given a smooth, even, regular surface, preferably rounded.

While a particular form of tube and a preferred method of making it have been explained in considerable detail, it will be understood that 10 various changes may be made in the article and in the steps by which it is produced without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention. 1

What I claim is: I

1. An article of manufacture comprising a collapsible tube having a body portion and a neck portion with a discharge passage there-=- through, partition means in said passagespaced from the end of said neck to partially close the 20 passage and provide an elongated opening therein, a sealing ring connected with the end of said neck, said ring having a smooth outer face, and a. cap for said neck having a flat gasket inserted and retained therein'to cooperate with the outer"- face of said sealing ring, said gasket being held spaced from said partition means by said ring.

2. An article 'of manufacture comprising a collapsible tube having a body portion and a neck portion with a. discharge passage therethrough, 30 partition means in said passage spaced from the end of said neck to partially close the passage and having a non-circular aperture therethrough,

a sealing ring connected with the end of said neck, said ring having a smooth outer face, and 35 a cap for said neck having a flat disc-shaped gasket inserted and retained therein to cooperate with said sealing ring, the central portion of said gasket always remaining spaced'from said-partition means.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a. collapsible tube having a body portion and a neck portion with a discharge passage therethrough, partition means in said passage spaced'from the end of said neck to partially close the passage, 45'

said partition having a single discharge opening therein, a sealing ring connected with the end of said neck and having a smooth, outer face, and a cap for said neck having a fiat gasket therein arranged to engage and extend across said seal-' 50 ing ring always out of contact with said partition.

JOHN H. FRIDEN. 

